Chisinau administration does not have levers to ban unauthorized constructions and demolitions

The Chisinau authorities and the State Construction Inspectorate will sue the contractor that demolished the building located at 51 G. Banulescu Bodoni St, which is an architectural monument dating from the 19th century, Info-Prim Neo reports. The building was knocked down illegally on December 24 in the evening, said deputy mayor of Chisinau Nistor Grozavu. He stated he will inform the Prosecutor’s Office about this case. The owner of that building asked for a demolition authorizations for multiple times, but the Chisinau authorities refused to issue it. “In Moldova, we demolish what we shouldn’t and do not demolish what we should,” said Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca. According to him, the Chisinau City Hall does not have the levers needed to ban the unauthorized constructions and demolitions. The fine for illegal demolitions is only 3,600 lei and it is not even imposed. Ion Stefanita, the head of the Monument Inspection and Restoration Agency, said that if no measures are taken, more architectural monuments will be lost. According to the Agency’s data, about 80 historical monuments had been pulled down during the last ten years. There are not more than 1,000 monuments in central Chisinau at present.